Hyderabad: Mecca Masjid renovation works at snail's pace

Charminar: One of the oldest mosques of India is struggling for the basic facilities. Though the wakf board had released Rs 8 cr for the development and maintenance of the religious institutions in Hyderabad in 2017, the work is yet to see the light. With Ramzan approaching, there is concern among the people as the basic facilities such as parking and boundaries are not up to the mark.

As Ramzan starts from mid-April, and this prestigious masjid accommodates more than 20,000 devotees for offering prayers, there are no basic arrangements for the people. The renovation of the masjid was expected to come to be over by now as the works had begun long back. Unfortunately, the works were going at a slow pace.

There are eight pillars in the masjid, out of which only one is renovated as of now, works of the rest of pillars was still pending. Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad is one of the largest mosques in India with a capacity of 20,000. The mosque was built between the 16th and 17th centuries and is a state protected monument situated in the heart of Hyderabad close to the historic Charminar.

Apart from this, Shahi Masjid in Public Garden is also among the ignored ones. There are major cracks on the walls and the roof and minarets of the structure. Seems like the structure can collapse anytime if proper restoration work was not taken up immediately.

The Minorities Welfare Department is responsible for maintenance of the mosque. These are the two major masjids that the State government takes care of. Though theState government had allocated a grant for the Wakf Board from which the money was tobe released for various development works of religious institutions, however, there is no progress in any of the works.